coalman

The Saints-y thing to do would be to dick around well into the new year. It's clear the powers that be weren't ready to do a manager search. It's Christmas next week. Then new year. I believe Rasmus and Henrik have only scratched the surface of the laughing stock potential of us changing manager. The perfect time to get it done would be the day after the January window shuts.

It depends on the company's bylaws or articles of association but it's likely that, as majority shareholder, Dragan can remove any executive from the company. Typically you can remove a CEO by a simple majority vote and Dragan would have to be insane to have it any other way. Having the title of co-founder doesn't make offer any protection from this. Given the speed at which Martin was removed assuming that Dragan finally lost patience from a position of security a couple of weeks ago it's safe to assume he can assert himself. The trouble is Rasmus and Henrik were the football brains he trusted to build his empire and it's plenty easy to replace them with other chancers.

I feel slightly sad as Friday had become trust-the-process day where I could reliably expect to be told that our football was working and how well we've trained this week. Now if I want some pre weekend gaslighting I'm going to have to do something drastic like phone my ex

That's more commitment than we ever showed in the tackle under RM. Tick for possession given away cheaply and offering no threat to the goal.

To be fair, Wilcox doesn't seem to have left the club in a better state than he joined it and isn't exactly pulling up trees at Man Utd. I'd rather have a highly competent DoF that nobody knows about it than one who is looking for his big club move. Not to say that the current bloke is that in any way shape or form.

Well obviously he needed to do something to attract Rasmus's notice

But the dog would turn it's nose up at the vegan Sunday lunch and go hungry.

When they finally choose someone in January time we'll dream of the time it might have been the Danish chap.

No need to get angry mate. It's just people talking on the internet.

If you want you people to take you seriously maybe show curiosity as to why they hold their opinion rather than dismissing it out of hand. Liverpool have far more resources than Saints - that's a fact. How deep their squad goes is a matter of opinion. If we're only allowed to use objective facts then maybe go back through your last few months posting in support of Russell Martin and maybe start writing some apologies for being a hypocrite.

So she meets the unobtainable criteria for Rasmus sending 3 months trying to re ruit her then.

It was stated as an opinion rather than fact. As someone who has been prepared to state differing opinions based on watching the Russell Martin juggernaut I would have thought you'd be ok with this.

Can we afford her release clause?

So here we are, the final game before Christmas with Saints travelling to Fulham in search of the win that would see them fail to establish the record for the lowest ever points total at Christmas. Russell Martin will be sitting down to watch this one on TV in front of his Saints FC Christmas tree as designed by famous Danish creator Ramus Ankersen. A tree that is unbalanced, expensive to assemble with more parts than are needed and which it's impossible to put a star on the top of. Not only that but it's designed in such a way that all the presents at the bottom are for someone else (yes I've been sitting on that gag for a while). However this is a Southampton freed from the shackles of Russball. One that is no longer compelled to offer up their opponents multiple clear cut chances per game or wait until the opposition has had a chance to reorganise before launching counter attacks. In Simon Rusk we have an interim manager which we know nothing about but who has inherited the most hospital-y of hospital passes. Will we get the limp hangover of the 1st half against Liverpool or the more positive 2nd? For once the fans will be turning up with actual hope that it might just be different this time around. Fulham are going to be disappointed that they didn't get the automatic 6 point buffet they were expecting from us along with the opportunity to play players back into form that we've offered every other team this season. It's another game on TV as Sky recognise that both teams will be thinking about Europe albeit in different ways. The Cottagers have a genuine shout at it this year while Saints will just be wishing that we were at the end of the table where such things were a consideration. As for the teams, well Southampton are still with a Jack Stephens shaped hole at Central Defensive Midfield Fullback Sweeper assuming they try to reprise the football of the season thus far. By the time Jack comes back there's an open question as to whether they'll even be a place for him in the line up with Rasmus burning up the phone lines trying to line up a replacement. An activity akin to a fat 50 year old bloke messaging 20 year olds on Tinder (I know all about this one). Chances are we'll still be trying to find the "right candidate" while Russ is sending Lucy a Valentine's Day card next year. The important thing is that finding the next manager is about trusting the process - something which all Saints fans know too much about right now. Whether Rasmus gets Dragan's credit card in January to go shopping is an open question - in any sane universe one would assume not. Even with all that hanging over the club, Saints can approach this with a small measure of hope. The locked in death march to the worst ever is no longer a certainty - what we get instead is anyone's guess.

After the first half I thought oh dear. Then in the second half we started doing things it seemed we were incapable of earlier in the season: - making tackles and putting Liverpool under pressure - moving the ball quickly to players in space - players talking to each other It was almost as if the players stepped up and let emotion take over as someone once put it. It turns out that when they're not being micromanaged from the sidelines out players make some pretty good decisions. I know it's only 45 minutes of football but that was the first time this season I thought we looked like a Premier League team.

And at least one 100-0 decision there.

He's there to flag the Saints player offside.

This half we've got after Liverpool and made them uncomfortable. When we pressure teams and play with intensity we look like a Premier League team. Rather than a Championship one phoning it in.

How is that not a last man foul?

Fucking hell the players are actually talking to each other.

Are we actually... tackling?

Liverpool don't have an answer to our strollingpress.

This has got 0-0 draw written all over it. Saints to win on penalties

So, 5 weeks to dither while Rusk works his magic followed by a bizarre left field appointment that only makes sense on planet Rasmus?